The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-01

any fears lest her weIl-known sweet
ness of temperament should unfit her
to cope with Aunt Myra, they were
quickly dispelled. To two people in
t,s;S world could Aunt Debby be- stern
Deacon Grant and his aunt; for
hadn't they--to use her own words
taken all the life and hope out o. my
blessed babyp"
Keep Aunt Myra out of the room?'
she had said in answer to the doctor s
command; IF she comes in, it will
be over my PROSTATE form.
But Aunt Myra was not so sasily kept
out; she proved herself fertile in expe-
djentS for reaching that chamber door,
and many were the passageS-at-arm
she had with Aunt Debby in the hall.
on the staircase wherever she could
manage to waylay her.
Aunt Debby always locked the door
and put the key in her pocket whenev-
er she was obliged to leave the room,
bul one day having failed to do so, she
returned to find her patient in hyster-
ic>, with Aunt Myra standing over her
and lecturing her in a high key on the
sin of iucurring so much expense, with
nothing the matter but laziness.
After that the deacon himself was
obliged to present to his aunt the aI-
tentative of keeping out of the sick
room, or leaving the house, and she
chose the former in high dudgeon.
These were stra ge days for Deacon
Grant. Never, shluehe had had a house
of his own, had he passed a week with
out company. He felt that his cardinal
virtue was fast rusting through disuse.
Even the most assiduouS drOppers-in
had ceased to come, for the doctor had
not failed to notify the entire village
that there must be no guests ut the
Grand mansion. Was there anything
the matter with his wife, anyway |?
Aunt Myra said there was not, and
Aunt Myra was an experienced nurse.
She complained of no pain-only lay
white and still. 1t did seem as if it
were nothing but nervousness, and if
there was anything a woman ought not
to be humored in, it was nerves. Fine
airs this young doctor was putting on
What if Aunt Myra were right, and it
was all plot between him and Aunt
Deborah
Thus, for week, the deacon fumed,
and on Sunday he started for the mill
his grand recruiting place for guests,
His wife heard the heavy wagon lum-
bering outof the yard, and though she
said not a word, Aunt Deborah noticed
that she grew more and more restless
as the morning wore on and the pink
flush on her cheek deepened to Grim
son,
When the doctor came at noon, he
found her in a high fever. Hum -
he said, with an Ominous shake of the
head. II have bin fighting typhoid
symptoms from the first. and it looks
now as if they had gotten the better of
me, What has occasioned the change?
Have you any idea
The words were hardly spoken before
Mrs. Grant sprang up with a wild
light in her eye, crying, Hush they've
come. Did't tell you so He dl,CGgS
brings them from the mill. / must go
right down and get dinner ;" while, at
the same instant steps were heard on
the piazza below, and gruff masculine
voice announcing, "You haYe a fine
view here, deacon"
Company gasped Aunt Debby,
and then flew to her charge. for it re-
quired all her own and the DOCTORS
strength to keep her in bed
All that afternoon she raved: "Is
there meat enough O Sarah, have
you made the coffee ? How many are
they Ten, twanty, oh, hundreds. and
and hundreds How can / feed them
all And Aunt Myra says the bread is
sour; she'll be sure 70 say it before
them. @ James ! James!
The success OF the dinner party was
never known. The deacon left before
they were seated at the table, and hur-
ried away, panic-stricken, to his wife's
room, whence, as the sight of him only
increased her rawlings, he was sum
marily elected by the doctor All her
wild words burned into his soul, fixing
as he afterwards said, the brand of Cain
upon his brow
There followed weary weeks weeks
Of anxious watching, weeks of prayer
and agony. Even Aunt Myra seemed
strangely subdued. while the deacon
moved about like man from whom all
hope had been crushed, There seemed
noground for hope, and yet they hop
ed and waited.
AT last came the crisis. Tonight, =
said the doctor. .'the fever will turn. /
viii watch while you both 90 away and
pray: for he knew well that neither
bursting heart could bear the strain Of
THAI watch.
Aunt Derby threw herself on the
sofa in the little parlor, and lay mo-
tionless; the deacon went out Of doors.
Hour after hour he walked back and
forth in a dumb anguish which could
find no Inference, even in prayer At
last he dragged himself into the parlor.
and said pleadingly, Aunt Debby, do